Nicklaus Children’s Health System (NCHS) and Baptist Health South Florida have signed a letter of agreement to collaborate in the weeks ahead with the shared goal of optimizing response to an anticipated regional surge of adult COVID-19-related hospital admissions.
Under the agreement, effective today, Baptist Hospital and Baptist Children’s Hospital will transfer all children requiring inpatient admission to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in order to prepare for the predicted influx of COVID-19-associated adult hospitalizations. This makes hospital beds, staff and equipment available for adult patient care at Baptist Hospital.
Baptist Hospital and Miami Cancer Institute will continue to provide pediatric oncology services; Baptist Hospital, Homestead Hospital, South Miami Hospital and West Kendall Baptist Hospital will continue to provide neonatal intensive care (NICU) services; and Baptist Hospital, Doctors Hospital, Fishermen’s Community Hospital, Homestead Hospital, Mariners Hospital, South Miami Hospital and West Kendall Baptist Hospital will continue to see pediatric patients in their emergency rooms. Any pediatric patients seen in the Baptist Health emergency departments in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties requiring hospital admission will be transferred to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital.
“In Baptist Health South Florida, we have found collaborators who share in our commitment to ensure area hospitals are in the strongest possible position to serve our community should we experience a sudden increase in demand for adult inpatient care,” said Matthew A. Love, President and CEO of NCHS. “As a freestanding children’s hospital featuring neonatal, pediatric and pediatric cardiac intensive care units, Nicklaus Children’s is uniquely prepared to provide medical care for vulnerable children with acute illnesses and complex medical conditions. It is our hope that our collaborative efforts support Baptist in addressing the needs of the adult care population, which is most impacted by this pandemic.”
“The spread of COVID-19 is expected to challenge our capacity of hospital beds, staff and supplies. Addressing this demand quickly, safely and effectively is our highest priority,” said Bo Boulenger, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer for Baptist Health South Florida. “As we prepare for an anticipated surge of adult COVID-19 patients, this collaboration will allow us to better use our resources.”
“We have a long-standing relationship with Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, and we are grateful for the collaboration during this particularly challenging time,” said Patricia Rosello, Chief Executive Officer, Baptist Hospital. “Through this partnership, we will be able to work together to provide excellent care for both our pediatric and adult patients.”
Mary C. Mayhew, Secretary of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), said, “This is a powerful model of collaborative medical response with hospitals coming together to meet the needs of their communities during a crisis. AHCA has been encouraging hospitals and large health systems in our state to seek such innovative regional partnerships in an effort to support readiness for a surge in adult care admissions.”
As part of the agreement, NCHS and BHSF will work to develop shared policies, procedures and operating guidelines.
The agreement follows guidance endorsed by The Children’s Hospital Association of the United States in consultation with the leadership of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), and has been submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as part of the White House Coronavirus Task Force initiative.
About Baptist Health South Florida
Baptist Health South Florida is the largest healthcare organization in the region, with 11 hospitals, more than 23,000 employees, 4,000 physicians and 100 outpatient centers, urgent care facilities and physician practices spanning across Miami-Dade, Monroe, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Baptist Health has internationally renowned centers of excellence in cancer, cardiovascular care, orthopedics and sports medicine, and neurosciences. In addition, it includes Baptist Health Medical Group; Baptist Health Quality Network; and Baptist Health Care On Demand, a virtual health platform. A not-for-profit organization supported by philanthropy and committed to its faith-based charitable mission of medical excellence, Baptist Health has been recognized by Fortune as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America and by Ethisphere as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies. For more information, visit BaptistHealth.net/Newsroom and connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
About Nicklaus Children's Hospital, Where Your Child Matters Most ™ (2025)
For 75 years, Nicklaus Children's has stood as a beacon of hope for children and families across the state of Florida and beyond. Nicklaus Children's Hospital is South Florida's #1 nonprofit, freestanding specialty licensed hospital exclusively for children serving close to 70 percent of children in the Miami metropolitan community. In addition, Nicklaus Children's offers care within NCH North Hospital in Naples, Jupiter Medical Center's De George Pediatric Unit and select Baptist Health Hospital pediatric emergency units. The hospital and its network of more of nearly 35 outpatient care locations offer lifesaving care in in Miami-Dade, Broward, Martin, and Palm Beach counties. These outpatient locations include an array of urgent care, pediatric primary care, and subspecialty care centers and are either hospital-based or outpatient locations under Nicklaus Children's Pediatric Specialists, LLC (NCPS). Providing a pipeline of future physicians and groundbreaking research, Nicklaus Children's is an academic and clinical affiliate of Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. Nicklaus Children's is home to centers of excellence including the Helen & Jacob Shaham Cancer & Blood Disorders Institute, the Nicklaus Children's Orthopedics, Sports Health and Spine Institute, Nicklaus Children's Neuroscience Institute and Nicklaus Children's Heart Institute. The 325-bed hospital is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine, with many programs routinely ranked among the nation's best by U.S. News & World Report since 2008. Nicklaus Children's also includes a nonprofit physician practice subsidiary with over 40 specialties, and an ambulatory surgery center. For more information visit, https://www.nicklauschildrens.org.